Electric gas-lighting apparatus



(No Model.)

I. FISHER.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING APPARATUS.

No. 364,235. Patented June 7, '1887.

Ina/$711507", Iwuel 1 22571077 53% W6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISRAEL FISHER, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,235, dated June 7, 1887.

Application filed June 7, 1886.

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISRAEL FrsI-IER, of' Medford, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electric Gas'Lighting Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts. 1

"The object of my invention is to provide a gas-lighting apparatus connected with and forming a part of a gas-fixture by which a spark may be produced without a battery, and without the wires commonly required in apparatus in which a batteryis depended upon to produce the spark.

The invention is embodied in an apparatus comprising aspark-producinginstrument operating on the principle of an-electricdoubler, the said instrument itself being well known, and constituting no part of the invention, which consists, mainly, in the appliances for actuating the said instrument, controlling the flow of gas, and transmitting the electricity to the proper point at each burner where the spark is to be produced.

The invention is shown as applied to a chandelier or gas-fixture having several burners branching from a common main supplypipe,which is, in accordance with thisinvention,provided with a valve connected with the actuating-shaft of the spark-producing instrument in such manner that when actuated by a suitable pendant or handle the main valve is first opened and the spark-producing instrumentsubsequentlysetin operation. Thesparkproducing instrument is provided with a commutator or circuit-changer, by which its electrodes are connected with conductors leading to the different burners in turn, so that in the continued operation of the spark-producing instrument the electricity is conveyed to the burners one after another, and a spark produced at each burner in turn,so that the burners of all branches of the fixture that have been opened by the usual valves or keys will be lighted by a single operation of the sparkproducing device.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a gas-fixture provided with an electric-lightingapparatus embodying this invention; Fig.

(No model.)

2, a side elevation of a portion thereof; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the sparkproducing device, portions being broken away to show the construction; Fig. 4, a sectional view of the spark-producing device; Fig. 5, a detail of the commutator orcircuitchanger by which the spark is transmitted to the different burners snccessively,and Fig. 6a diagramreprcsenting the circuitconnections of the spark-produc ing instrument.

The apparatus is shown as applied to a fix ture comprising a main pipe, (0, leading to a distributing-chainber, a, from which diflerent branches 1) b lead to the differentburners, one of which is shown at c, the said branches being preferably provided with the usual keys or valves, 1)", controlling the delivery of gas to the burner. Each burnerisprovided with the usual electrodes, (Z d, insulated from one another, and having a small space between them in proper position with relation to the stream preferably ebonite, having two inducing plates or strips, f f, (see Fig. 4,) of tin fastened upon its inner surface, opposite one another, and each occupying about one-third of the circumference of the cylinder. Inside of and concentric with the cylinder f is a rotating cylinder, 9, fastened upon a shaft, 9, and provided with six equidistant longitudinal strips oftin, g. (See Fig. 4.) The head f of the outer stationary cylinder is provided with six stationary contactsprings, f, the free ends of which bear against the strips 9 as thelatter revolve, and the stationary ends of which are electrically conneeted as follows: One opposite pair are connected withthe inducing strips or armatures f f another opposite pair are connected together, and the third opposite pair are connected, respectively, with wires f f, .which may be considered as forming the external terminals of the apparatus 011 which the f is connected with a contact-spring, h,whieh bears on a hub, 'h, insulated from the frame work of the spark-producing instrument, and provided with projecting circuit wheels or flanges h it (see Fig. 5) corresponding in number to the number of burners on the fixture, and each occupying a separate are or portion of a complete circle around the shaft.

For the sake of simplicity, the fixture is shown as having but two burners, and the flanges h h are consequently semicircular and opposite one another. The hub 71, with its flanges h h", is supported on and rotates with the main actuating-shaft m of the spark-pro ducing device, and the flanges h It co-operate with springs i i, to which the charge of electricity is successively conveyed from the wire f through the spring 71 hub h, and whichever one of the flanges h or ii that happens to be in contact with the corresponding spring i or z". The electrodes (1 of the different burners are connected by conductors 7c, &c.,with the terminal wire f of the spark-producing instrument, so that the said electrodes form terminals on which the electricity of one sign accumulates. The opposite electrodes, (1, of the different burners are respectively connected by conductors 2' with the springsil i, so that in the revolution of the actuating-shaft m the said electrodes d of the different burners are successively connected with the terminal f of the spark-producing device and receive the charge of opposite sign to that on the e1ectrode (I, so as to produce a spark between the said electrodes in the well-known manner.

In order to increase the effect of the spark, the conductor i is wound spirally around the conductor k, which latter is covered with insulating material, the two conductors thus arranged acting as a condenser.

The actuating-shaft m is connected by speedincreasing gearing m m m m with the shaft of the rotating cylinder 9 of the spark-pro ducing device, which is thus caused to make many rapid rotations at each comparatively slow rotation of the shaft m. For the purpose of turning the shaft on a sufficient amount to ignite all the burners,if required,the said shaft is provided with a drum, n, loose upon the said shaft and connected with one end of a spring, a, the other end of which is fastened to the frame-work, as shown. The drum n is provided with a pawl, n", engaging a ratchet 0r toothed hub, of, fixed upon the shaft m, so that when the drum n is turned by the stress of the spring it engages through the pawl the hub n, and also turns the shaft m, thereby actuating the spark-producing instrument, and also the circuit changing devices h If If. The drum a may be turned to wind up or strain the spring a by means of a cord, 0, attached to and wound about the said drum and provided with a suitable pendant or handle, 0'. Thus by pulling down on the handle 0 the drum n will be rotated without turning the shaft m,.but straining the spring a and car rying the pawl around the hub 01. and into engagement with the tooth or notch thereof, so that as soon as the handle 0 is released the spring a will operate to turn the shaft m.

In order that the gas may be turned at the proper time with relation to the operation of the spark-producing device, the main pipe a is provided with a valve, 1", having a ratchet, 1', (see Fig. 2,) connected with it, said ratchet being provided with eight teeth and the valve so arranged that an eighth of a turn will open or close the gas-passage. A valve-actuating arm, 1*, loose on the Valvespindle, and arranged to oscillate through about one-eighth of a circle, is provided with a dog, 1', that engages and turns the ratchet 9'' when the said arm 1 is moved downward. The arm 1' is connected, preferably, by an extensible elastic link, T with the actuating-cord 00f the sparkproducing device, so that when the latter is drawn down to wind the actuatingspring n, the arm 1" is also turned down and acts to open the gas-valve, thus permitting the gas to reach the burners just before the spark-producing instrument is operated in the return movement of the cord 0. A spring, r, raises the arm r without turning the valve in the return movement of the drum n, in which the sparkprodueing instrument is operated.

The various parts will be properly inclosed in the outer shell or ornamental part of the gas-fixture, so as not to injure the appearance of the latter. Where but a single burner is used, the circuit; changing devices may be omitted and the electrodes at the burner be connected directly with the spark-producing instrument, and the arrangementof the parts may be varied to accommodate the various different constructions of gas-fixture, and for simplicity of construction the gas-valve may in some cases be operated independently of the spark-producing instrument.

I claim 1. The combination of a gas-fixture having a burner provided with insulated electrodes and a valve governing the flow of gas to the burner, with the spark-producing instrument comprising an outer shell having internal contact-strips and an inner revolving shell provided with a series of longitudinal contactstrips and contact-springs, actuating mechanism common to said valve, and spark-producing instrument for opening the valve and rotating the said shell and conductors connecting two of the contact-springs of the sparkproducing instrument with the electrodes of the burner, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a gas fixture having a main pipe and series of branch pipes leading to different burners, with a spark-producing instrument of the kind specified, comprising an outer stationary shell and an inner rotating shell and cooperating contact-surfaces, and an actuating-shaft for the said revolving shell, a valve in the main gas-pipe and operating mechanism common to the said valve IIO and actuatingshaft, and a circuitchanger by which the spark-producing instrument is connected in circuit with the different burners successively, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a gas-fixture having a burner provided with insulated electrodes,

with a spark-producing instrument; connected therewith, comprising an outer stationary shell and inner revolving cylinder, and an actuating-shaft and intermediate gearing between it and said revolving cylinder, and an actuatingspring and winding-drum therefor inner revolving cylinder and cooperating contact-surfaces and contactsprings and conductingwires leading from the said instrument to electrodes at the burner, one of said conducting-wires being wound spirallyaboutthe other, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination of a gasfixture having a main pipe and series of branch pipes leading to different burners, with a spark-producing instrument of thekind specified, comprising a stationary shell and a rotating shell and cooperating contact-surfaces and actuating mechanism for rotatingthe said shell, and a circuit-changer by which the spark-producing instrument is connected in circuit with the different burners successively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISRAEL nisnnn. 

